Monthly Report July 2024 | Juvenile Justice Advocates International

Workshop at the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago

This spring, we partnered with the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago for a series of 10 art workshops. Seventeen young people from three detention centers in Mexico City participated online with the museum. The workshops explored different media and themes.

The final project was a self-portrait in which the young people created images representing their personalities, interests, and hopes. We later brought the works together to form “Reflections of Dignity,” a new art exhibition.

Celebrating 10 Years in Mexico

On May 18, we celebrated our 10th anniversary in Mexico City with strong attendance from more than 100 supporters and partners.

The event, titled “Reflections of Dignity,” was the first exhibition of the art project we developed with the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago. We also had a moving performance by Somasona, a local interpretive dance troupe focused on social justice themes.

Ana María de la Rosa, the former state director of Chihuahua’s child protection agency, shared how our collaboration has led to improvements in her state’s detention centers.

We are excited to continue celebrating our 10 years with upcoming events in Minneapolis and Chicago, USA.

Sharing International Practices in Minnesota

JJI organized a symposium in our second home, Minnesota, USA. “Bridging the Gap: Minnesota’s Juvenile Justice System and International Practices” brought together experts from Germany, the Netherlands, Northern Ireland, and Mexico with local experts and advocates to discuss a human-rights-based approach to juvenile justice in Minnesota.

The United States has the highest youth incarceration rate in the world. It is also the only country that has not ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which established a human rights framework for juvenile justice systems. Hearing how other countries address youth crime, including serious crime, in ways that reduce recidivism while treating children as children was eye-opening for many of the participants.

The event was co-sponsored by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, the Legal Rights Center, and the Minnesota Justice Research Center, with support from the Minneapolis Foundation.

Mexico City Detention Center Reforms Near Completion

JJI has been working over the past three years to reform policies and procedures at Mexico City’s pretrial detention center. The work is nearing completion. Earlier this year, new policies and regulations were developed. Before the end of the year, JJI will conduct intensive training for detention center staff, followed by a final audit to verify the full implementation of the new policies. This will be the first detention center in Mexico that JJI can certify as compliant with Mexican and international law.

Mobilizing Volunteers

The ongoing “Mobilizing Volunteers” project in Mexico City continues to support incarcerated youth through family transportation, care packages, educational supplies, and workshops.

Pictured: (top right) delivery of feminine hygiene products for girls in detention, (bottom right) healthy sexuality workshop at the girls’ detention center, and (bottom left) baking workshop at the boys’ detention center.

Leadership Joins Global Experts in the Netherlands

JJI directors Douglas Keillor and Sarahí García joined a group of international experts at Leiden University in July for a weeklong course on “The Frontiers of Children’s Rights.” The seminar was led by UNICEF Chair in Children’s Rights Ton Liefaard and Chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child Ann Skelton.

Douglas and Sarahí took part in discussions on the impacts of climate change, migration, and UN mechanisms on children and young people. They also raised the issue of incarcerated children in discussions with experts from around the world.

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